Ashes
by Sereven
Summary: Death and insanity. The path he had chosen would have lead him to his own demise. But on the verge of defeat, Kael'thas Sunstrider returns to his homeland, to lead his people back to their glory. But the enemies are numerous and the future seems dark. But only with unwanted alliances of convenience, the survivors of the Scourge onslaught will be able to survive. AU
1. Chapter 1

**So, here is another story I had uploaded long ago, though I doubt that many remember it. There are only few Warcraft fans here on FF. But some remembered and asked me to bring it back, so here it is. **

**This is an AU Version of what might have happened, had Keal'thas made a different decision after the end of TFT... This was only a prologue to a longer story, so should you like it and want a full story about this, then let me know...**

* * *

The sudden silence was almost deafening to all those soldiers, that were still able to look at the scene. Only the howling of the ice cold wind of the Icecrown glazier could be heard, its sound almost as chilling as the temperature.

No one was able to say anything, no one wanted to say anything. Too deep was the shock when they saw their leader fall. All their sacrifices and toils for nothing. Illidan had lost and Arthas, the one who had slaughtered their people, was victorious once more and marched on towards the glazier. They were all doomed now, there was no hope left.

They had a short breather, as the Scourge had retreated for the moment, to guard their leader as the dreaded Death Knight marched towards his dark destiny. But the peace would not last for long, they had no time to spare, they needed to escape quickly if they wanted to survive.

Kael'thas Sunstrider, last prince of the Blood Elves, ruler of the sad remains of his race, stood next to the other leaders of Illidan's forces, fury etched into the features on his face. He had followed Illidan in the hopes to get revenge for his homeland, his people... his father. But none of that was given to him. No, he had only lead more of his people to their deaths at the hand of the Scourge.

Arthas had taken everything from him and he had played right into the damned man's hands with every step he had taken. Arthas had taken everything, his home, his family, the woman he had once believed to love... and now he would take the rest of his people. And it was his fault. The madness of his obsession with revenge... he would doom his own race. He couldn't do that... he had a responsibility. The Bloodelves respected him as their leader, they looked to him for guidance through these dark times and all he did was lead them towards extinction.

But not anymore, his resolve was clear, the steps he would have to take now were unquestionable. All loyalties up to this point were gone, his only loyalty was to his own people.

"Sanguinar, give the signal for a full retreat of our forces... or at least was remains of them. Leave no one behind, we are done here. We will return home." Keal'thas said with a firm and steady voice. The warrior nodded gruffly before he walked off to fulfill his orders.

"What do you think you are doing, Kael'thas?" The Naga witch Lady Vashj hissed at him angrily, her eyes shining with rage in the face of this betrayal. "Our lord is out there, we need to retrieve him so we can plan what we do next."

"You do that, damn witch, but my loyalty ends here. I have payed the debt to Illidan with the blood of my people, we are no longer following your insane path." Kael said before he turned around and walked away from Vashj.

"Betrayal!" The witch shrieked in anger. "You dare do that, after all Lord Illidan has done for you? Guards stop this traitor at once!" At her order the Naga guards that had come with her charged towards Kael'thas, but with one motion and a fiery blast the elf knocked them all away from him.

"You don't want me to be your enemy, Vashj. You would regret it quickly." He said with an almost callous disregard to the danger of the situation he was in. "And you have a fallen leader to safe. Do you really wish to sacrifice his life to follow me and my people?" He asked mockingly.

The Naga Witch only growled in fury before she looked back towards the ice field where Illidan had fallen. She had no choice but to give up on hunting the traitorous elf. "You will pay for this, Sunstrider. You and your people will pay dearly for this betrayal." Her threat hung in the air before she turned away from Kael and made haste to reach Illidan before the Scourge could take him.

Kael'thas though only chuckled, knowing that Vashj and Illidan's remaining forces would be in no condition to threaten him and Quel'thalas for many years to come. Enough time to regain strength and fortify his homeland against any invading force. The Scourge's attack on Quel'thalas had taught them much about the shortcommings of their fortifications, those mistakes would not be repeated this time.

As he walked on, he reached the rallying point of his troops, a large number of elves already waiting there for him. They looked beaten, weary and frightened of the future, but what shocked Kael'thas the most was that there were less then a third of his men left after the battle for Icecrown. They had payed a steep blood price for their loyalty to Illidan, he could only hope that the price had not been too high.

He saw Sanguinar running around in the background, barking orders at the soldiers to hurry up, while their mages opened portals that would bring them back to Quel'thalas. Seeing the man busy, Kael approached the next best soldier he saw, a female warrior who leaned heavily on her long sword.

"Soldier, what is your name?" He asked sternly as he approached the woman.

She looked shocked at her lord, not expecting him to talk to her, but quickly answered dutifully. "Lana'thel, my lord."

Kael nodded, asking himself whether he had seen the woman before. Surely it must have been when he recruited his people for this fight. "Lana'thel, are these all the survivors that have been found?"

"I don't know, my lord. We came here with all men that were left, but our forces had been scattered when the Scourge broke through our lines..." She shook her head sadly. "I fear that all who have not returned yet are most likely dead … or will die very soon."

Kael'thas sighed in frustration, pinching the back of his nose as he did so. Just what has he lead his people into? The servitude to Illidan would have lead them to their own demise.

"Help others if you can and leave this forsaken place, we will return home to Quel'thalas before the Scourge comes to take us all." He told Lana'thel before he walked on. The elven woman just nodded before she limped towards a group of other wounded soldiers to leave this place with them.

Keal'thas allowed himself one last look back on the Icecrown glazier. Whatever Arthas was currently doing there, it would be fatal for them to find out right now. Revenge would have to wait for another day, but he would see the dreaded human die. He would not rest before that has happened, but for now his people were more important.

With the firm resolve to return one day for his final revenge the prince of the Bloodelves walked towards a portal and left the cold wasteland behind.

* * *

The journey through the portal was quick and he soon found himself in the familiar forests of his homeland, a place that he was sure he would never see again. He looked around and saw the large rune stone, not far from the portal, the stone being the only place left in Quel'thalas, that his mages could open a portal towards, since it was one of the last remaining untarnished sources of their once powerful arcane magic. Behind him he could hear the water of the Elrendar river, which separated the north of Quel'thalas from its south.

Kael'thas was soon approached by two of his advisers, Telonicus and Capernian, seeking instructions from their lord on how to continue now.

"My lord, we await your orders. Nearly all of our remaining forces have arrived and are at your disposal." Telonicus said with a bow towards his prince.

"Send out scouts to make sure that no enemy is near this position and send someone to find out where Lor'themar Theron and his troops are, they should still be in Quel'thalas fighting the Scourge." Kael'thas ordered sternly. Telonicus nodded and left immediately to fulfill his orders. "Capernian..." The prince said with a sigh. "... I need you to take a small group of soldiers and retrieve our remaining forces from Outland. Make haste, Illidan will be beyond furious and attack our outpost once he is in the condition to get revenge for our betrayal." The woman had a grim look on her face at the mere thought of returning to the wasteland that was Outland.

"But be cautious, we will need every single one of our people, if we want to reclaim our homeland and defend it against all opposition. No unnecessary risks, avoid fighting." He admonished sternly, not willing to show how much the losses of this day affected him. He was the future king, once they had reclaimed Quel'thalas he would crown himself. He was the last living descendent of the Sunstrider dynasty. Showing weakness was a flaw he could no longer afford to show.

"I won't disappoint you, my lord. I will return swiftly with our forces." Capernian bowed her head curtly before she turned to leave.

After his advisers had left him Kael looked around once more, seeing that the portals were now closed and all of his remaining soldiers had finally arrived here. He had plans for his return to Quel'thalas to liberate it from the Undead, but he had not thought that he would return here under these circumstances... or with so few troops in the wake of a crushing defeat by Arthas.

* * *

Seven days passed without news about Lor'themar or Capernian and prince Kael'thas grew impatient with every passing moment. They had long left the place where they had arrived and had taken residence in a small abandoned village near the rune stone.

Fairbreeze Village. He remembered the place faintly from the past, he sometimes passed through this place when he traveled between Dalaran and Silvermoon. It was a lively little town, but the state it was in now... it only fueled the cold rage Kael'thas already felt for Arthas and his undead minions.

He stood on a balcony, looking in the direction of Silvermoon, the fallen capitol city of his people. In one hand he held a small bundle, some of the finest silk wrapped around the skull of his father. The last time he had been in Silvermoon, he had salvaged the skull among other things. At that time he couldn't bear staying in the haunted city, his thirst for revenge called him away to aid the remains of the Alliance in their fight against Arthas.

"Soon, father, soon I will reclaim all that has been taken from us." Kael mumbled as he unwrapped the skull. "Quel'thalas will rise again and all who dare to defy us will be purged from this world." He looked intently at the empty eye sockets, trying to remember his father. Inwardly he wished that Anasterian was still with him. Things were so much easier when his father reigned over their people and he could do whatever he saw as worthy of his time. But Anasterian Sunstrider was dead, gone forever and now Kael would have to live without his father's aid.

A knock on the door in the room behind him shook Kael'thas out of his musings, so he quickly wrapped the skull back up in the sheet. For now he did not want his followers to know that he had this relic of his late father, not until he could lay his father's remains to rest.

He finally turned around and admitted the visitor to the room, seeing Capernian enter. She looked weary and dead on her feet, but he did not care about her well being at that moment, he was more interested in hearing her report. She could rest after that.

The woman bowed before her prince before she finally spoke. "My prince, I have done as you asked, but we ran into some problems during our retreat. The Naga of Lady Vashj had cut us off from our only ways to escape and tried to kill our Magisters that could open the portal back home. We had to fight our way out of an ambush before we could safely return." She hesitated for some moments before she continued her report, fearing the reaction of her lord. "I beg your forgiveness... I have lost several of your more seasoned soldiers..." She had averted her gaze towards the floor, unable to look into the face of her prince. He had directly instructed her to be cautious, that they would need every single soldier to survive the future toils.

Kael'thas looked at the woman with a furious expression. "Had I not told you to avoid fighting? Had I not told you to be cautious? And you dare return and tell me that you lost my soldiers fighting the serpent beasts of that wicked witch?" He yelled at her before he stepped forward and gripped the woman's chin, tilting her head up so she would look at him instead of the ground.

Capernian winced in pain as Kael'thas gripped her chin, her last strength already leaving her in this moment. Days of fighting her way out of the enemy territory, days with little sleep and even less food had taken their toll on her, but she would not show her weakness if she could help it. She would fall even further from grace, should she loose consciousness in his presence.

"Please forgive me, my prince. They had us surrounded the moment we entered our camp... we had no choice..." She rasped out, terrified by the fury she saw in Kael'thas eyes.

"Forgiveness? When you disrespect my orders? I should kill you where you stand... but I've already lost too many of my followers... our race won't survive if I keep on killing people for such an offense." He finally let go of her chin and pushed he away from him, causing the woman to stumble and fall down with a loud thud. "Get out of my sight, I will decide later what to do with you." He said coldly before he turned around and returned to the balcony where had stood before.

Capernian was barely able to pick herself up from the ground and leave the room. She knew how close she had come to death that very moment. Prince Kael'thas would have shown her no mercy for this failure if he had a choice. She was still useful and she would have to stay that way or else her life would be forfeit. The prince was no longer known for his clemency, after all that had happened he would do anything to ensure that his goals are reached, no matter the means.

On the balcony Kael thought about what he had done just moments before. He knew that it was not right to blame Capernian for this failure, but the loss of more soldiers at the hand of his former allies just added to his growing anger. He mentally added Vashj to the list of people he would make suffer once he had rebuilt his kingdom. Arthas, the Scourge, the traitorous Alliance, Vashj and her Naga, they all would pay. One day he would make them all pay for what they have done to him and his people.

* * *

The next day Kael'thas and his advisers met for the planning of their final push towards Silvermoon. The first thing the other advisers realized when the meeting started, was the absence of Capernian, but that the prince neither waited for her arrival, nor that all who might have known, were oddly silent about it, could only mean that she had somehow fallen from grace. The thought alone was unsettling for some of them, knowing that she had been one of his favorites so far.

Keal'thas looked around at each of his men. Those were the leaders of his armies, the ones who had followed him even into the doomed assault on Icecrown. Men who had and will follow him to the end of the world. "The day has come, the day that we will finally reclaim the home that the Scourge has taken from us. After years it is finally the time to reclaim not just our races ancestral home, but also its honor and might. All who oppose us will be crushed, there can be no failure here." Kael said imperiously.

"My Lord,..." Sanguinar started, "... your troops stand ready. They have recuperated after the battle in the north and await your orders." To this the prince only nodded with a pleased expression on his otherwise stoic face.

"My Lord, I can also bring you other good news." Telonicus continued. "This morning some of our scouts returned, they have found Lor'themar Theron and his troops. They had been fighting against the undead intruders in the south, but they will join us before the day is over. Once we have started our attack they should arrive as backup not too long after the initial assault."

"Very well. With all those troops we should have no problems with annihilating all undead that have remained in our home. Remember that even though some of those abominations might have the faces of friends and family, they are no longer your loved ones. If you truly care about them, then you will give them a swift death, that is the greatest mercy you can give their tortured souls." Keal'thas spoke with conviction. "All of you, gather your men, we will march towards Silvermoon and reconquer it." All advisers saluted their prince before they quickly left to rally their soldiers, leaving only Kael'thas and Sanguinar.

"My Lord..." Sanguinar asked firmly but respectfully.

"Yes?" The prince asked annoyed. "What is it?"

"Might I inquire what has happened to Grand Astromancer Capernian? Her absence was very... unexpected."

"What will happen to her is none of your business, Sanguinar. She has failed me and will no longer serve in a position of power like before, that is all you need to know. Don't repeat her mistake and disappoint me, Sanguinar. I will not tolerate failure." Kael'thas replied with a menacing growl.

"Yes, my lord." Without further waiting the man left the prince, disturbed by the underlying anger in the prince's voice. "Just what have you done, Capernian." He mumbled to himself as walked towards his troops.

* * *

The assault on the city itself was quickly over. The only resistance the blood elf forces met, were the stray undead that roamed the Dead Scar, the sad reminder of Arthas' destructive onslaught on the elven homeland. The city itself was nothing more then a haunted memory of its long gone glory. The few stray corpses that the Scourge did not take were still littering the streets, the ghosts of the slaughtered citizens haunting the streets and buildings. But the ghosts did not attack, seemingly recognizing their former kin, as Kael'thas forces advanced through the streets.

For the prince every step through this city contributed to his rage, all those ghosts, the houses that had remained in the state they had been during the attack... the reminders of people running for their lives as the undead roamed the streets. Men, women and children... his people slaughtered in their homes... Arthas and his monsters had taken so much from him and his people, the atrocities that had happened here; it would only be fitting that this very city would now become the source of the Scourge's destruction. From here he would prepare for his own crusade against the damned Death Knight and his minions. And when he finally had his revenge he would make Arthas suffer, just like Arthas' beasts made his people suffer.

When they had finally reached the steps to the city's former center, the palace from where the King and the Convocation of Silvermoon had governed their people, one of Kael'thas' advisers stepped towards him.

"My lord, the city is under our control... there was no resistance from the undead specters. But the troops are wary of the haunted buildings, what shall we do, my lord?" Sanguinar asked with a firm expression.

"Have the men find a way to get rid of those ghosts, use force if necessary. We may not have encountered the Scourge here, despite my expectations, but we can't risk anything and need to take the city quickly. Send the men to scout every building, every street. And post guards at all entrances to the city." Kael'thas ordered swiftly, his eyes never leaving the palace from where his father had once reigned.

"My prince, there might be another way to appease the souls of those who had died here. A way that would not require violence." An elven woman in long white robes said to the agitated prince, unknowing how dangerous it could be to contradict the prince's orders when he was like this.

"And what do you think you can do? Spit it out, I have no time for nonsense." The prince bellowed at the woman, not even bothering with who she was.

The woman instinctively stepped further away from the angry prince, but spoke none the less. "The ghosts might pass on, if we just properly bury the remains of the deceased in this city... to honor them like our people did in the past..." The woman grew more nervous with every moment of the prince's attention on her. His undiminished glare would have cowed even the fiercest opponents at this point.

"Fine, bury them. We would have had to get rid of those bones anyway. Now begone, I don't have time to listen to the likes of you." With these words he left the woman and marched towards his father's palace. Here he would find the time to honor his dead father like he wanted to do for a very long time.

He had returned to the home of his ancestors, he had retaken the city of his people. Now he was one step closer to his revenge, but there was still a long way to go. All of the world stood against his people, their former allies had betrayed them, their enemies were still on the rise, their own home still in ruins. They would have to find a solution for their addiction to magic as well, but at least for that Illidan had given him a good idea how to solve this particular problem. Still they had plenty of problems but in time they would be strong enough to show their enemies, to show them that the Bloodelves would always have their revenge.

* * *

**A/N: So that's all for now. Just remeber that this all happens at the end of The Frozen Throne and Kael'thas decides that his own people are more important than Illidan and his crusade in Outland. So there are also some people who will not become part of the Scourge, such as Lana'thel, because this time he did not leave parts of his troops to die, as he did when he left with Illidan.**

**This was only a prologue to a longer story, so should you like it and want a full story about this, then let me know...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well here is a short update for this story. So far there have only been a few views, but already five reviews. First up, thank you to all my Reviewers. Though I would have loved to see more than just anonymous reviews, but I know that the Warcraft community on FF is rather small, so I am happy for the Reviews.**

**Oh well, have fun with this chapter...**

* * *

The entire hall was filled to the last place, as guards, courtiers and petitioners flocked to the throne of Kael'thas Sunstrider, the newly crowned king of Quel'thalas. The king was the sole beacon of hope for his people, the few survivors of the Scourge onslaught, that had nearly ended seven thousand years of proud elven history. But with their new king, the elves where willing to continue their desperate struggle for survival.

The time was still grim for them and not even half of their homeland had been reclaimed yet, but no one doubted that it would only be a matter of time, before they would win the war in the south and drive the sinister undead from their lands. But the fight would be hard and gruesome. Many more of their courageous soldiers would die to achieve this goal.

Not that the majority of the courtiers here in the capital would be bothered by that. They had not fought before, they would not fight in the future. All they did was grovel in the shadow of their king, squabbling like spoiled children.

"Just look at them, Sarannis. This incestuous bunch of good for nothing nobles, falling over themselves to suck up to our king. They sicken me." The imposing Lord Arion Sanguinar said derisively, as he watched the court from a far corner of the room. His young protege, the elven soldier Sarannis Dawnblade, stood next to him, watching the scene with equal distaste as he master.

"One would have believed, that they would have learned their lesson, after the deaths of most of their noble friends. They are the sad remains of the once proud nobility and Convocation of Silvermoon, yet they act as if they are still as powerful as they used to be." Sarannis said scathingly, as she brushed a strand of her coppery hair out of her face. "I would like to see them face the horrors that us soldiers fight against, every day of our struggle in the war."

"I'd rather not have these simpering fools on a battlefield. They will only get others killed."

"Ah, my dear Lord Sanguinar, your low opinion of our skills wounds my pride. Not all of us nobles are useless in a fight." Another woman had approached them. Another noble lady of the court or at least Sarannis thought of her as such. Her long, deep blue dress and the fancy style of her silvery blond hair at least implied as much. As did the haughtiness of her words.

"Malande. Why am I not surprised." Sanguinar growled, as he saw the woman and the mocking smile on her lips.

"Don't forget, my old friend, you are just as much a noble as me and those simpletons in the shadow of the throne." Sanguinar scoffed derisively. But Sarannis saw more in the lady's words and actions. Malande was here to play a game of wits with the grizzled warrior. One that Sanguinar would not be able to win. "And I see that you have your lapdog... pardon me, your protege, with you at every step." Now her contemptuous gaze was focused on Sarannis herself.

"I believe it is time for you to leave, Malande. Go back to sucking up to our King." Sanguinar growled. The noble lady merely laughed, before she answered.

"Oh I will return to the side of our king, no need to worry about that. He will need the right kind of advisers, especially after the disgrace of Capernian. And I will be there to fill that place, at his side, however he requires me to serve." She finally left the two soldiers alone, as she sashayed back to the throne, with more sway to her hips than necessary and appropriate in this kind of place.

"What a vile woman." Sarannis commented, once she was sure that Malande was out of earshot.

"Don't let her bother you. You are worth a dozen of her kind. She hides here, in the safety of our ancient capital, whereas you fight for our race's very survival." Sanguinar said, as he placed a hand on his protege's shoulder. "And don't forget, the king himself has seen your strength and worth, else he would have never made you a member of his personal guard."

"My guard duty is a thing of the past."

"True. But look, the king has finally time for us. Let's not keep him waiting, his patience is thin these days." She nodded in concurrence and both of them walked closer to the throne. They stopped a few feet away and knelt before their king.

Kael'thas Sunstrider, last of his proud line of kings, looked down on them with an undecipherable expression. So far Lord Sanguinar had been one of his most valued advisers and a highly respected leader of his army. But none of the nobles should feel assured of their own worth at the moment. The king's respect and benevolence could be lost just as easy as they could be obtained.

"Rise, Sanguinar, and report. How is the war proceeding?" The king's voice was calm. A good sign for the two soldiers.

"My king, your troops have successfully reclaimed all lands north of the Elrendar river and pacified the area. The soldiers are gathering near the river at the moment, to prepare for our assault on the Scourge infested south."

"Good. I expect a quick success in this war, Sanguinar. Every village held by the undead is an insult to our ancestors. Every day we allow them to spread their darkness is travesty that must not be allowed to go on." Everyone could hear the barely contained anger in the king's voice. Kael'thas hated the Scourge above all else and all his mind was filled with now, was the wish to purge the undead from his kingdom.

"We will do our utmost to guarantee a quick success..."

"Don't say it, do it!" Kael'thas growled. "Reclaim what's been taken from us. Destroy the Scourge and bring me the heads of all the traitors in the south!" The king's voice thundered through the room now and his exclamation was met by great approval from the nobles around him.

"We will not fail, your majesty." Sanguinar said, before he bowed once more and left the throne room quickly. His cloak billowed wildly behind him, as Sarannis hurried to keep up with her master and teacher.

* * *

The lord and his student left the capital the same night and rode south with haste. They followed the long trail of the Dead Scar, the dark reminder of Quel'thalas downfall. Most of the northern part of the kingdom had survived the onslaught with little to no blemish, but the Scar... the path that Arthas and his minions had carved through the elven homeland, it was enough to remind a thousand generations of the pain and misery of their noble ancestors. A wound that would never be forgotten... and one that was nigh on impossible to heal.

As they followed the Dead Scar to the south, they passed several encampments of Magisters and the Botanists of the king's High Botanist, Freywinn. All these people were busy trying to find a way to remove the stain of the undead, but with little success. Sarannis knew Freywinn well and knew how scared the man was to fail his king. He worked himself half to death in his attempts to cleanse the land... alas with little to no success.

Eventually they reached the camp of their troops. A magnificent sight to Sarannis eyes. Nigh on two thousand elven soldiers. Warriors, rangers, physicians, magisters... all groups of the elven military were present. And still these troops were nothing but a sad reminder of the strength the High Elves once commanded. These were the few survivors of the war against Arthas and his Scourge. But they commanded respect and would fight with the ferocity and indomitable will of their race.

"Sarannis, go to your soldiers. I will call for you later, when we are ready to plan our strategy." Sanguinar said, as he dismounted from his warhorse.

"As you command, my lord."

"And Sarannis, try to get some sleep. You look dead on your feet." There was a mix of humor and concern in his voice, as he looked down on the smaller elven woman. As formidable as a fighter she may be, she tended to push herself too far. One day she would find herself in a situation where she would be unable to escape, because she ignored her exhaustion for too long. Even now he was sure that the woman had not slept since they had left for the capital... more than two days ago.

Sarannis merely nodded, before she walked off towards the tents of her men. Her Bloodwarders. The troops given to her by the king himself.

"Welcome back, commander." Lyrlia Blackshield, one of her subordinates, said."Everyone is ready to depart as soon as we get the order."

"Good, Lyrlia. Very good. But for now we should get as much rest as we can. The south is infested with undead. The fight in the Eversong Forest was nothing in comparison to what awaits us there. But tell me, where is my second in command?"

"Ah... Althallen is... preoccupied..."

Sarannis sighed, "Again? Is it Fenissa or has some other dumb oaf fallen for his non existent charms?" Althallen Brightblade was an excellent warrior, good enough that he managed to rise to the post of her right hand man during the short war in Eversong. But his favorite pastime did neither include fighting, nor training and often caused his commander much exasperation.

Lyrlia did not reply to the question, both of them already could guess the answer. Instead the two elven women sat down, side by side, next to a camp fire and watched the moon and the stars above them. Sarannis was surprised how fast the time had passed. Before she had even realized it, the day was gone and the dark cloak of the night had covered the land. In this dark twilight the usually warm and bright land of Eversong looked so dark and menacing, as if the undead were lurking behind every corner... maybe they did.

"Commander?" Lyrlia asked, sounding almost hesitant.

"Hm?"

"Can we even win the war in the south? There are so many undead, but only so few of us."

"This is not about can or can't, Lyrlia. We mustn't loose or our race will not survive the next year. For our future and the generations that will follow after us, we have to win." Sarannis mumbled, as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Lyrlia soon felt a weight leaning on her shoulder, as she saw her commander sleeping soundly next to her. Most nobles would have seen this as undignified. A commander falling asleep next to her soldiers. But Sarannis wasn't noble and she cared little for the proprieties of the court. Lyrlia liked her even more for that. She quickly motioned for two other soldiers to come and help her, as they lifted their commander and brought her to her own tent.

* * *

"Commander..."

Sarannis mumbled something, as she tried to figure out where the voice had come from. It was so dark... too dark... But the ground underneath her was so soft and warm...

"Commander!"

The voice was more insistent this time. A small groan escaped Sarannis lips. She realized that she was lying somewhere, her eyes still closed, as she tried to cling to the blissful sleep. But she wouldn't succeed.

"Commander!"

This voice was starting to annoy her. And even worse, now someone was also shaking her shoulder. Reluctantly she opened her eyes. It wasn't very bright, the light seemed dimmed by something. It was then, that she realized that she was not outside, where she had fallen asleep, but inside her tent. And the annoying voice was that of her second in command.

"I'm up already. Don't annoy me this early in the morning, Althallen." She groaned, as she sat up. The sheets that had covered her before, fell down and revealed her small form to the eyes of the elven soldier in her tent. Only belatedly she realized that she was no longer wearing her armor, but only the thin silken chemise that she wore underneath.

She knew she should have felt ashamed of being seen by Althallen like this, but at the moment she couldn't care less. But there was one question that came up, "How did I end up here?"

"Lyrlia," Althallen replied, as if the name alone would explain everything. And in fact it did. The girl was far too caring about those around her. Of course she wouldn't allow her commander to sleep outside, if there was a tent and a bed for her nearby. Neither would the girl allow her commander to sleep in her heavy armor, to suffer the consequences the next morning.

"This girl... remind me to thank her later."

"Of course, Commander." Althallen replied dutifully, as he admired the view. Sarannis had left her bed and started stretching her sore muscles. The Commander of the Bloodwarders was considered rather pleasant on they eyes, but only few ever saw her without armor like this. Althallen considered himself privileged in that regard. "But I am also here to inform you that Lord Sanguinar has called for a war council in the main tent. All leaders are supposed to assemble there within the hour."

"I understand." The commander replied, before she walked over to the table, where Lyrlia had left her armor. With trained eased she put all parts of the heavy armor on and readied herself for the day. She already knew that she would fight, before the sun would set again. Today they would attack Southern Quel'thalas... which most soldiers now only called the Ghostlands...

As she left her tent, she could see that most of her soldiers were already up and running about, even though the hour was still early and the sun had only barely risen above the horizon. She saw Lyrlia, who was busy ordering some other soldiers around. The two women only traded a subtle nod, before Sarannis continued on towards the biggest tent of the encampment. The place where he master was waiting for her.

Sanguinar's tent was already filled with a group of soldiers, all high ranking leaders among the elven troops that would attack the Scourge. Mostly men and women that had already fought for their king in Lordaeron and Icecrown. Trusted soldiers, good soldiers. But that wouldn't mean that Sarannis liked most of them. Far from it.

"Now look what the cat dragged in. You look so grim, Sarannis. Lighten up, we are about to retake our homeland." She frowned darkly. She knew this voice. This sickening sweet voice of a darn sycophant.

"Pathaleon," she growled, "What do you want?"

He shook his head with a mock disappointed expression, as he chided her as if she was a small child, "Now, now, this isn't the correct way to address your superior."

"You are not my superior. I only answer to Lord Sanguinar and the King." She knew that Pathaleon was much higher in rank than her. By all means she should answer to this man. But being Sanguinar's protege and student had its perks. One of them being that she only answered to her master.

"And I only answer to the king. But don't worry, soon you will also serve me, my dear. Once my plans are complete, I will rise in rank above even the so esteemed Lord Sanguinar."

"Is that so?" The gruff voice of the lord could be heard, as the menacing elf appeared behind Pathaleon.

And the insolent man actually paled, as he realized that the leader of the army stood behind him. "Lord Sanguinar... I was just..."

"I don't care." Sanguinar said, as he pushed past Pathaleon.

"But..."

"Sit down you fool!" And he complied, though he looked angry and muttered unintelligible curses under his breath. "Now that all of you have arrived, let's talk about the facts." Sanguinar walked over to a nearby table and unrolled a large map. On it they could see Quel'thalas and Lordaeron. "Our king has ordered us to retake the rest of our kingdom and to chase the Scourge out of our homeland. We already control the north, now we grasp the corrupted south. The battles will be long, they will be hard. Don't expect your enemies to show mercy. Expect to see the rotten faces of friends and family, to see your homes in ruin. Expect the gruesome abominations of the Scourge to roam the land of your fathers. But we won't give up, we won't stop. We will fight until not even a single undead pollutes Thalassian air. Ready your men, we will march in one hour!" The assembled leaders roared in approval, especially when Sanguinar took out a knife and rammed in into the map, where pitch black letters marked one area. Deathholme. The fight for Quel'thalas future had just begun.

* * *

**A/N: Well this was only a short chapter. Something that I wanted to get out before the fight in the Ghostlands begins. This was also meant to introduce the main character for this first arc. Sarannis. Some people may remember her from the Botanica. I know that I could have just created some new characters. We know nearly nothing about her and the other enemies we have encountered in Outland, so they are as blank as an OC would have been. But I wanted to use names that WoW players might remember, to show what could have become of those bosses, had Kael'thas made a different choice.**

**But don't worry, Kael'thas will be a constant presence in this story. He is their king and the one that demands to see progress in the war. And the Forsaken and the Crusaders will make their appearances, though only later, when the war moves further south, to the siege of Deathholme.**


End file.
